Kicked Out
by Trust.Hope.Love
Summary: This my take on what happened after Rachel and Kurt kicked Santana out in 4x16 – Feud. Dantana. Rated T for now, may go up in the future.
1. Chapter One

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Glee or the characters. It would be a completely different show if I owned it._

_**Spoilers:** 4x16 Feud, but anything is fair game._

* * *

"We want you to move out." Kurt says bluntly.

…"You're joking." Santana says in disbelief. They can't be kicking her out after dark in the middle of winter in New York City.

"We're not." Rachel says with no remorse.

…"Olsen twins, let me tell you something. I have known you both for years, and I don't like either of you 90% of the time. In fact, your wide-eyed keen painting approach of life makes my teeth hurt and my breasts ache with rage. But you know what? I have love for you. You're my family and I haven't lied to you in months. I'm smarter about other people than the both of you, you have to trust me." Santana explains trying to get them to change their minds.

"Santana, you're making Brody feel uncomfortable, okay? And he was here first, so you either lay off of it or you move out." Rachel says, choosing the boy she met a few months ago over Santana, whom she's known for years.

"Fine. That's fine. You know what, I don't, I don't mind going. I ran into Lena Dunham at Barney's, and she told me that I could crash with her if I ever needed to. So, that's cool, because she has two golden globes. Oh, and another thing. I have, what Access Hollywood calls, street smarts. I'm right about plastic man." She says pointing at the two of them as she grabs her comforter and pillow, her suitcase, and finally her jacket and purse, and then she throw-kicks the suitcase through the door as she walks out.

"I'm pretty sure she just stole my comforter." Rachel says in disbelief, not actually believing Santana would leave.

"Bitch took my pillow." Kurt says in the same disbelief as Rachel.

...

As Santana leaves the loft, her mind is going a million miles an hour trying to figure out what she is going to do now. Yes, she still has the money her mom gave her for graduation, but she needs a plan. Before she can make it too far from the loft, she runs into someone and they both drop everything they were holding.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry." The other woman rushes out before kneeling to start picking everything up.

"It's okay. I'm sorry too. It was probably my fault anyway." Santana says as she kneels down as well.

"No, no. I wasn't paying attention, I was too busy texting." The flustered woman explains with a frustrated shake of her head.

"Like I said, it's okay. I'm not sure I was paying any attention either. My head isn't really all here right now." Santana says shaking her head to try to clear it.

Both women finally look up at the other after gathering their belongings and as their eyes lock, they both take a deep breath.

Before either can say anything more, Santana's eye widen in shock. "Oh my God. You're…" She doesn't even finish her sentence before the other woman nods shyly.

"Yea. Hi, I'm Dani Torres." She says as she stands up with her hand outstretched.

"Hi. Santana Lopez. It's nice to meet you." She says standing up and shaking hands with the blonde woman. "I'm a…big fan of your music." She admits with a shy smile.

Dani smiles and looks down briefly, noticing what Santana's holding. "Oh. I'm sorry! I'm probably holding you up. You look like you have plans." She says pointing to the pillow and blanket.

"Oh...umm, no. I…" Santana looks down at the stuff she's carrying, remembering her dilemma. "I was living with a couple of my…uhh…_friends_," she points behind her rolling her eyes, "but…uhh…they just…kicked me out." She explains quietly, eyes downcast.

"Oh my God. That's terrible! I'm sorry." Dani says gently. "What are you going to do now? Where are you going?" She asks hoping the woman she just met has a plan.

"I…I have no clue." Santana says shaking her head. "I told them something about running into Lena Dunham the other day, which totally happened and _it was awesome_, but I made up some lie about staying with her." She says shaking her head. She doesn't know why, but she feels completely comfortable with the blonde.

"Oh my gosh! I love her!" Dani exclaims excitedly. "I...I'm no Lena Dunham, but I have a guest room if you'd like?" She says with a smile, not knowing why she's offering this random stranger a place to stay. She didn't know why, but she felt protective of the other woman.

"Oh…no…I…I…couldn't." Santana says shaking her head.

"Okay. Well, how about you come over for some coffee or dinner or something and you can use my internet to find somewhere to stay?" Dani offers wanting to make sure the other Latina was safe.

"No. No. I…I couldn't impose." Santana says politely.

"You wouldn't be imposing." Dani says, shaking her head with a smile. "You would actually be saving me from having to lie about being busy tonight."

"Why would you be lying about being busy?" Santana raises her eyebrow curiously.

It's Dani's turn to roll her eyes. "My friends have been on me about my personal life and trying to set me up on blind dates. I've had valid reasons to get out of them before, but this time I was going to have to lie to them to get out of it. So, quid pro quo? You help me, I help you?" She explains smiling at the end.

Santana thinks for a minute as she looks at the woman she met five minutes ago before nodding her head with a smile and a chuckle. "I'm probably crazy for doing this, but sure. Why not?" She agrees.

"Awesome!" Dani exclaims. "Okay. It's cold out here. Let's go, my car is this way." She says leading them to the car waiting to take her home.

...

They reach Dani's building on the Upper West Side about thirty minutes later.

Santana looks up at the building in awe. "This is where you live?"

Dani nods with a smile as she leads them into the building, greeting her doorman on the way to the far elevator. She pulls out her keys and inserts a key to open the elevator doors, then inserts another key next her floor number before pushing the button.

Santana watches all of this in even more awe, as she realizes they're making their way up to the penthouse in a building on Central Park West.

The elevator doors open directly into Dani's foyer, which is as big as, if not bigger than, Rachel and Kurt's loft.

"Wow." Santana says looking around at what she could see of the penthouse.

"Why don't you put your stuff down here, for now, and I'll give you a tour?" Dani says trying to make Santana comfortable.

Santana nods and sets everything she had in her arms on the floor in the foyer.

...

"How big is this place?" Santana asks unable to hold in her curiosity any longer.

"Three…well, I guess, four stories, technically." Dani says leading them through the first floor. "This is the living room. The dining room is over there. On the other side of the dining room is the family room." She says pointing through to another room. "And this is the kitchen, in the middle of everything." She says in a satisfied tone as they make their way past the kitchen. "The door we passed on the way here leads to a bathroom. The stone stairs lead up into the mudroom/laundry room."

Dani leads them to the second set of stairs and leads them up to the second floor. "Okay. This floor has three guest rooms with en suites at the end of the hall," she says pointing to the doors at the end of the hall. "The laundry room, here." She says as the pass the door on the left. "My gym, here." Dani says pushing the next door open to show Santana. "And my dance studio, here." She says pushing open the door on the other side of the hallway to show Santana.

"Oh my gosh. It's amazing!" Santana breathes as she tests the floor with her sock covered foot, before walking in and spinning around to get a feel for the room.

"Thanks." Dani smiles as she leans against the door frame watching Santana as she spins and jumps around the room, losing herself in the movements.

Santana realizes what she's doing and stops, looking over at a smiling Dani, embarrassed. "I'm sorry." She says quietly.

"Don't be." Dani shakes her head. "Okay, next floor." She leads them up the next set of stairs and down the hallway. "These two are guest rooms with en suites." Dani says as the walk past the first two doors. "This is the spa room with a sauna and yoga area." She pushes the door open to show Santana. "Then the master suite, my room." She points to the door on the left side at the end of the hallway, before turning to the final door directly across the hallway. "_This_ is my favorite room." She says pushing the door open. "My music and recording studio."

Santana walks in and gently runs her hand along the recording panel. "It's amazing." She breathes out.

Dani leans against the door frame and smiles as she watches Santana take in the room, the piano, the guitars.

Santana rolls her eyes as she realizes she did it again. "I'm sorry. I keep intruding."

Dani shakes her head and smiles. "No, no. You're fine. Okay, one more set of stairs." Dani says as she leads Santana to the final set of stairs and opens the door at the top with a flourish. "_This_ is the roof."

Santana is astounded as they step out on to the roof. "It's beautiful." She whispers as she makes her way to the wall at the edge and looks out at the city.

"It really is." Dani whispers. "I lied. This is tied for my favorite spot." She smiles serenely as she leans against the wall next to Santana, just breathing in the city below.

"I can see why. It's amazing." Santana says with a content smile, still looking out over the city.

...

They stood looking out over the city in a comfortable silence. After about ten minutes, Dani breaks the silence.

"If you don't mind me asking," She starts, looking at Santana, "why did your friends kick you out?"

Santana shakes her head and rolls her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she answers quietly. "They…we have a long history of not getting along and fighting in high school. I thought we had worked all our issues out before graduation, and then when I moved here they let me move in with them. I thought we were good." She shrugs. "I tried telling them that I suspected their new _friend_, Berry's boyfriend, who's living with them, is a drug dealer or a gigolo. I tried confronting him, but he _told _on me and they took his word over mine." She ends in a disgusted tone.

Dani watches the brunette as she tells her story. She notices the way she tries to conceal the hurt and the anger, but she can see it in her face, hear it in her voice, and feel it in the way she talks.

"I know it's not my fault, but I'm so sorry." Dani says empathetically. "I…can I say something without upsetting you too much?" She asks hesitantly.

Santana nods looking at Dani. "Sure."

"I know that we don't know each other, at all, and you can take what I'm about to say with a grain of sand. But I can see that you're holding back. I know that you're hurt and angry." Dani starts and notices that Santana is about to interrupt, she holds her hand up. "I saw it in your face, heard it in your voice, and felt it in the way you spoke. I know what holding in those particular emotions can do to somebody. Before they consume you, before you dwell too long, you need to find your way of dealing with them, whether that's dancing or music or whatever." Dani ends softly.

Santana looks at the shorter woman for a minute before turning back to the city skyline. She closes her eyes and breathes deeply. "I know." She whispers, and Dani has to lean closer to hear her. "I know. I've always had music and dance when all my emotions get to be too much." She shakes her head and turns to Dani with glassy eyes. "But…now I'm homeless, in a city I've been in for maybe a month, with no friends."

Santana begins to turn her head away before Dani can see the tear rolling down her cheek, but Dani sees and reacts before either of them can think. She brings her hand up to the tanned cheek and uses her thumb to wipe it away, then wraps the taller woman in a warm hug. Santana stiffens for a minute and tries to pull back, but Dani is unrelenting and holds tight. Santana finally gives up the fight and slumps against her, wrapping her arms tightly around the shorter woman. They stay that way for a while before Dani pulls back a little so they can be face to face.

"I know that you've already said no," Dani starts staring into Santana's chocolate eyes, "but, as you've seen, I have plenty of space for you to stay here. I also have a dance studio and a music studio that you are more than welcome to use." Santana begins shaking her head, but Dani pushes on. "And, honestly, it would be nice to have someone else around. I get lonely here all by myself. But, more than that, I-I…I feel…a connection with you. I feel…protective and I don't know why." Dani shrugs and shakes her head knowing that she's not explaining herself well. "I'm sorry; I'm not explaining this well at all."

Santana shakes her head. "No, no. I-I understand. I feel it too. I feel comfortable with you, which _doesn't_ happen."

"So, will you please stay?" Dani asks with doe eyes.

Santana looks at Dani and she feels herself nod even before she consciously made the choice.

"Good." Dani whispers in relief, trailing her hand down into Santana's as she steps away. "Okay. Umm…dinner?" She asks realizing it's really dark and she doesn't know what time it is or how long they've been up on her roof.

"Sure." Santana shrugs pulling out her phone to check the time. She sees that it's seven and that neither Rachel nor Kurt has checked in to see if she's okay, and she frowns as she puts her phone away.

"What's wrong?" Dani asks squeezing the hand she's holding.

"It shouldn't surprise me," Santana shakes her head gently, "but neither of _my friends_ has tried contacting me to see if I'm okay or safe or…anything." Santana answers trying to let go, but realizing she won't be able to until she gives in and releases her emotions.

...

Dani leads them back down to the kitchen and makes Santana sit on the stool at the breakfast bar.

"Do you like chicken and rice?" Dani asks looking at Santana after looking in the fridge.

Santana nods as she watches Dani move around the kitchen.

"Do you have paper and a pen?" Santana asks suddenly.

Dani nods and takes a few steps to the other side of the kitchen, pulls open a drawer, takes out a notebook and pen, and hands them to Santana with a small smile.

"Thanks." Santana gives her a half smile.

As Dani puts dinner in the oven and sets the timer, Santana opens the notebook and begins writing. When dinner is ready about an hour later, Santana is almost finished with the song she's writing.

Santana looks up when Dani touches her shoulder. "Hey. Dinner's ready." She says quietly, not wanting to scare the woman preoccupied with her thoughts and writing.

Santana nods looking at the clock on the oven, down to the notebook, and then up at Dani. "Wow. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude." She apologizes with a slight frown.

"It's alright. I don't mind." Dani tells her with a shrug. "I understand. Writing helps get your emotions out and under control. You seemed to be on roll."

Santana nods. "Yea. Apparently, angst is good for my writing." She shakes her head. "You said dinner was ready?" She asks. "I'm starved." She says dramatically.

Dani smiles and hands the other Latina a plate. "Here you go. Pollo y arroz."

"Gracias." Santana says with a smile. "I…" She pauses trying to figure out how she wants to say what she's thinking. "I just want to thank you. You've been amazing these past few hours, while I've been a mess. Tonight could have gone in a completely different direction, but it's turned out pretty well considering. So, thank you." She ends looking at her plate and finally starting to eat. "Mmm. This is so good." She says after swallowing her first bite.

Dani shakes her head. "Really, it's not a problem. I…" She pauses to think about what she wants to say. "I never talk about this, but my parents kicked me out when I was 16." She's facing Santana, but looking beyond her – almost watching it in her mind. "They caught me making out with a girl in the basement and all hell broke loose. I grabbed my guitar and clothes, and never looked back. I was lucky enough to have an aunt that took me in and gave me the opportunity to finish high school while doing my music. Some people aren't as lucky as I was. I-I…I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know what you're feeling now, on some level. I know our situations are totally different, but in a way they're the same." She finishes gently, eyes focusing on Santana's instead of beyond her.

"Oh…wow." Santana whispers, reaching out and squeezing Dani's hand. "I'm sorry. That's awful." She shakes her head. "I was lucky that the only person to disown me when I came out was my abuela, her kicking me out and saying she never wanted me to come back was awful." She squeezes Dani's hand again. "I'm so sorry."

Dani shrugs. "It is what it is. I've dealt with it, and I'm okay. A little part of me still hopes that they'll come around, but I'm not holding my breath. I just wanted you to know that I know what you're feeling and that if you need or want to talk, I'm here." She smiles. "Or…if you want to dance or write or whatever."

Santana nods and smiles. "Thanks."

They both finish dinner, talking a little bit but mostly letting everything from the day sink in.

* * *

_Please review and let me know what you think. :)_


	2. Chapter Two

_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Glee or the characters. It would be a completely different show if I owned it._

_**AN: **__Okay, so first, I am amazed by the response I have gotten for this story. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favorite, and followed. You are all so awesome! __The songs in this chapter are, in order: (1) Demi Lovato – Together, (2) Kate Voegele – It's Only Life, and (3) Florence and the Machine – Shake it Out._

* * *

After dinner, Santana helps Dani with the dishes and then asks if she could use the dance studio. Dani agrees and shows Santana how to connect her phone to the sound system before leaving for her recording studio.

Santana grabs her phone and chooses a playlist that has some original songs, some cover songs, and some popular songs.

She lets the music flow out through the speakers and through her body. She gets lost in the dancing, in her movements, in the music.

Dani comes back to check on Santana a couple hours later and sees her dancing, eyes closed. Dani is about to leave, but something is keeping her rooted to her spot by the door. She just stands there and admires Santana's dancing. The music catches her attention, the current song is one she knows well - but it's a cover by someone with an amazing voice.

Before she knows what she's doing, she knocks on the door frame alerting Santana of her presence.

Santana's eyes fly open and she stops dancing mid-step. "H-hey." She stutters.

"I'm sorry. You're a beautiful dancer." Dani offers a shy smile. "I just wanted to see if you were ready to see which room is yours? Then you can come back and dance some more if you want, or whatever."

"Yea. Sure. Thanks." Santana says breathing deeply, walking over to grab her phone from the plug-in.

Dani waits until Santana's at the door before leading her up the stairs to the third floor and to the room diagonally across from hers, next to the recording studio.

"That last song…who was singing?" Dani asks hesitantly, even though she doesn't know why.

"Oh…umm…that was me." Santana says quietly, just realizing the song was a Dani Torres original.

"You're amazing." Dani says with wide, bright eyes.

"Not really. You're much better." Santana disagrees shaking her head.

"Seriously? I think your version was so much better. Your voice has this raspy quality that…it's amazing." Dani tells the darker woman sincerely.

Santana smiles but shakes her head. "Thank you, but we'll have to agree to disagree."

Dani smiles and nods. "I guess so." She's about to leave, but pauses. "Do you read music?"

Santana nods and raises an eyebrow.

"Will you come sing something for me?" Dani asks pointing toward the recording studio.

"I guess." Santana shrugs. "Do you mind if I shower first?"

"No, that's fine." Dani says. "When you're done, just come to the recording studio. That's where I'll be." She says leaving the other Latina to her shower.

Santana nods as Dani leaves. She turns to look around the room and grabs her suitcase off the floor. She shakes her head and smiles appreciating that Dani had brought it up here for her.

She gathers her bathroom stuff, brings it into the bathroom, and places it either in the shower or on the counter. She looks at the shower for a minute, figuring out how it works, and then turns on the hot water. She strips out of her clothes and combs out her hair as she lets the water heat up.

As she gets into the shower, she reflects on her day. It definitely did _not_ turn out how she thought it would when she woke up that morning. When she woke up, she had her day all planned, first she was taking Rachel to the OBGYN, then she was going to confront Brody at NYADA, and finally she had her job interview at the Coyote Ugly bar. She never would have planned that Brody would _tell_ on her like a child nor Rachel and Kurt choosing him over her, and then, as a result, kick her out.

However, everything definitely seems to be looking up. Never in a million years would she have imagined meeting Dani Torres. But, here she is, in her home. Staying with her.

She places her fingers on the wall under the showerhead and just breathes as she lets the water rain down over her, almost as if washing the day and all that came with it down the drain. She didn't want to take too long, but she needed a little time to relax, to stop…just for a few minutes. She gets out of the shower, massages her lotion into her body, and then puts her pajamas on. She combs her hair, works her hair products into her hair, and combs it again before shaking it out.

...

"Okay. I'm ready." Santana says as she walks in the room.

Dani just watches as Santana walks toward her before shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

"Awesome." Dani smiles. "I've been trying to figure out what's missing forever, but I can't find it. I'm hoping hearing you singing it, will help me figure it out." She picks up some papers and hands them to Santana. "Okay. Here's the song. Just go in there, put the headphones on, and I'll play the music through. Then I'll play it back again and you can sing along. Sound good?"

Santana nods looking at the song. "Sure."

The brunette walks into the recording booth and sits on the stool. She places the papers on the music stand and grabs the headphones to put them on.

Dani pushes a button to talk. "Ready?" When Santana nods, she presses the playback button and the music flows.

Dani watches as Santana listens to the music and reads along with the lyrics, heel tapping, eyes closing occasionally. When it ends, their eyes meet and Santana nods for her to play it again. This time through Santana sings along. There are a couple of mistakes, but at the end, Dani knows what was missing. The song is supposed to be a duet, not a solo.

"Okay." Dani says pushing the button. "I'm going to start it again and then we'll both sing. I'll let you know when it's your turn." Seeing Santana nod, she starts it on a 30-second lapse so she can get into the booth to sing.

Dani starts with the _oohs_ and then the first verse and chorus. As she's singing the _ohs_ after the chorus, she makes sure Santana knows it's her turn for the next verse. When the chorus comes up again, Dani joins in and they finish the song together.

When the song ends, Dani rushes out to stop the recording, and then rushes back to Santana. "Oh my gosh! Thank you so much!" She exclaims with a wide smile. "That's exactly what I was missing, I needed it to be a duet, but…I couldn't hear it. Thank you!"

Santana raises her eyebrows at the hug and the rush of words. "Umm…you're welcome?"

Dani shakes her head. "No. You have to listen to it back." She says pulling Santana out of the booth and to the panel. "Sit here." She says motioning to one of the rolling chairs as she sits in the other. "Now, listen."

She presses play and they both let the song overtake them.

Santana nods. "It's good. It'll be even better when you find someone to sing the other part."

Dani looks at her with an _are you joking?_ expression. "Find someone?" She mumbles. "What?" She asks Santana. "Wait…no…I think you misunderstood me. _Your voice_ was what was missing. I want _you_ to sing that part. It's _your_ part."

Santana looks at her as though she's grown another head. "What? No…I can't…no. I'm not…what?"

Dani turns to look at Santana and takes her hands in her own. "Santana, I've been messing around with this song for a few months, trying to figure out what was wrong with it. I have had a couple other people sing it, but nothing clicked until you sang it. It's _your_ part."

"But…" Santana tries to get her thoughts together.

"No buts. It's yours." Dani says with a sense of finality and relief.

"Okay. How…how does that even work?" Santana asks.

"I'll talk to my manager and label and have them draw up the contracts." Dani tells her. "Then you'll read them over, have a lawyer or someone look them over, and if it's all good, we'll sign them and you'll be the featured artist." She finishes with a smile as if it's no big deal.

"Dani, I…don't you need to think about this? I mean…I'm a nobody." Santana says. "Don't you want a big name or someone you actually _know_?" She asks.

"What's there to think about?" Dani shrugs. "We just heard what you sound like, and even some of the people with experience that I've worked with before can't nail a song that quickly. Sure there are a couple of things we'll have to fix, but that should take maybe an hour, tops. It sounds great as it is now. Do…do you not want to?" Dani asks realizing that she never actually asked the other woman if she wanted to be part of it.

"No, no, no." Santana shakes her head quickly. "I would love to. I just…I've had a lot of disappointment in the last year, today especially."

"Well, if I have anything to do with your future, it'll only be looking up." Dani says so nonchalantly that Santana is speechless for a minute.

"Thank you." Santana smiles. "I…I don't know how I'll ever repay you, but…thank you."

"You don't have to repay me." She sees Santana about to protest. "If you really want to do something, do like I'm doing, pay it forward. Help someone else."

Santana nods. "I'll try." She smiles. "Would you mind…can I use your piano? I want to see if the song I was writing earlier is any good."

"Sure." Dani gestures to the piano. "Go for it. Do you mind if I stay and listen?"  
Santana shakes her head as she sits at the piano. "No, just don't be too harsh, okay?" She grins widely.

Dani just nods with a smile.

...

Santana starts with a chord, but it's too low so she moves higher until she finds the right chords and nods to herself. She plays a few measures and starts singing.

Dani can hear the pain in her voice, but the song doesn't seem sad. When Santana hits the chorus, her voice is stronger and more powerful, even a little angry. Dani realizes the song is about staying strong when it seems as though nothing is going right.

When Santana pauses, Dani speaks. "Wow. Santana…that…" Dani shakes her head trying to come up with words. "That was beautiful."

"Eh. It's okay." Santana shrugs as she begins playing a random melody. "The verses are choppy and some of the words don't fit well."

Dani nods. "Yea, okay, but you wrote the song, music and lyrics, in an hour. Of course it's going to be rough."

Santana continues playing lightly. "Yea, but I don't know where I'd even _start_ to try to fix any of it. I mean, I know what's wrong, but I don't know how to make it right."

"I…I can try to help you with it, if you want." Dani offers hesitantly.

"If you have time, that would be great, but you really don't have to do that." Santana says as if it's no big deal, but she's freaking out inside.

"I have plenty of time right now. I'm currently taking a break. I'm still writing, I'm _always_ writing," she smiles at Santana, "but I'm taking a break from all the public stuff. The appearances, the red carpets, the performances…I just needed a break."

Santana nods. "I want to say I understand, but I know that I don't. I can imagine it though, having to be _on_ all the time. That was high school for me. Always on, never let your guard down." She shakes her head. "But it's probably a hundred times worse than that." She smiles widely and sends Dani a wink.

Dani shakes her head with a smile, trying to hide the blush sweeping over her face. "No. Maybe a little worse, but it's probably pretty comparable."

Santana tilts her head to the side thinking over the blonde's words. She nods briefly, eyes closing as she recognizes the song she's unconsciously started playing.

_"And I've been a fool and I've been blind_

_I can never leave the past behind"_

Santana opens her eyes and looks at Dani with a sad smile. She stops playing and walks back over to where Dani is sitting at the recording panel.

"I think I need to try to sleep." Santana says with tired eyes.

Dani nods. "I think that's a good idea. It's been a long day."

Santana nods at that. "It sure has…thank you…again." She rolls her eyes at herself. "Goodnight. See you in the morning."

Dani shakes her head with a smile. "Really, it's not a problem. Goodnight. See you in the morning. If you need anything, feel free to…do whatever, use whatever…or you know where I'll be." She says pointing at her bedroom door.

Santana nods before turning and walking the few feet to her door, she looks back at Dani and they make eye contact before slipping into their rooms.

* * *

_Please review and let me know what you think. :)_


	3. Chapter Three

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own Glee or the characters. It would be a completely different show if I owned it._

**_AN: _**_I'm not sure how clear I made this, but Dani is already famous and a well-known musician. A couple reviewers asked me if I could write about Rachel and Kurt's reactions to Santana and her new life after they kicked her out – It's in the next chapter, but…I'm not sure if it's going to be what you wanted. :/ There will be more, I'm just not sure when, yet. The "famous Santana dance" is actually the "Naya dance" in this story…I got really distracted looking up videos of this dance._

**_AN2: (You don't have to read this, it's just a rant…) _**_Okay, so I'm re-watching Glee and here are a couple of things that I'm noticing again. Finn is not a leader, he's a follower. Mr. Schue is a big fan of an eye for an eye, rather than turn the other cheek. Both are selfish and only look out for #1. They only end up doing the right thing after being asked multiple times, after others have already started, and at the last minute. RIB really should have tapped into all the talent they have on this show, instead of keeping most of it on the back burner._

_I guess most people didn't enjoy the last chapter as much. :/ Please let me know what you think._

_Now, on to the story:_

* * *

Santana fell into bed and checked her phone once more. She sees that it's 1am and still, there was nothing from Kurt or Rachel. She shakes her head as she places the phone on the bedside table.

_I can't believe I thought we were friends. I can't believe I called them my __**family**__. I thought…ugh! I can't keep dwelling. It happened, it's over with. I have to move on, and figure out what I'm doing now. Oh my God! Now. Right now. I'm in Dani Torres' guest room! I just sang for Dani Torres! I just sang __**with**__ Dani Torres! I'm going to be a featured artist on one of Dani Torres' songs! Oh my God! _

Santana is freaking out – the good kind of freak out though. She's lying in bed and starts punching and kicking her arms and legs out, wiggling the rest of her body, to get the nervous, excited energy she's now feeling out of her body. She flips over and squeals into her pillow.

_Okay. You have to be cool. You can't freak out. She's just a person, an amazingly awesome and talented person, but still just a person. Calm. Collected. Play it cool. _

She turns onto her side and grabs her phone. She opens her twitter app and starts typing.

_Some ppl aren't worth it anymore. I know what I deserve. This isn't it. #oldfriends #newfriends #loyalty #kickedoutforlookingout #goodtoknow_

She takes a breath and then hits send. She knows she'll get a lot of questions, but she'll deal with that later.

She lies in bed for another thirty minutes, trying to sleep, but realizes it's a lost cause at this point. She's too…hyped up…too angry…a mixture of emotions that need a way out.

She gets up from the bed and makes her way into the bathroom where she puts her hair up into a messy bun. She grabs her phone and makes her way down to the kitchen to grab some water and then up to the dance studio. She plugs her phone into the sound system and chooses her _energy_ playlist and the music starts to play loudly. Before she starts dancing, she stretches. By the time the third song is over, Santana is on her feet and ready to dance. As she dances, it's a mixture of ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, and acrobatic.

...

Dani couldn't sleep either. She's been lying in bed for about thirty minutes and can't stop tossing and turning. She couldn't stop thinking about Santana. How it easy it is to be around her. How easy it was to open up to her. How protective she felt. How connected she felt. She's never felt like this before, and it is both terrifying and exhilarating. She decides to try some yoga and see if that will help to relax her and allow her to clear her mind enough to fall asleep.

She gets up from her bed and makes her way to her bathroom to put her hair up in a ponytail. She starts to make her way downstairs to the kitchen to grab some water, but the music pouring out of the dance studio stops her from going any further. She changes course, makes her way to the door, and leans against the frame to watch Santana dance. When the current song ends, Dani knocks to announce her presence.

Santana spins around with eyes wide open, startled, not expecting Dani.

"Hey." Dani says with a smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Santana shakes her head. "No, no. It's fine. What are you doing up?" She asks after turning the music off.

Dani shrugs. "I couldn't sleep. I was going to try some yoga, but on my way down I heard the music and figured I'd come see why you're still up." She explains walking toward Santana in the corner of the dance studio.

"I couldn't sleep either." Santana says shrugs. "There are too much energy and too many emotions running through me. I…I had to get them out."

Dani nods in understanding. "You're an amazing dancer." She says with a smile. "Do you think…" she shakes her head, "would you teach me some?"

Santana nods with an awed expression on her face. "I guess. Wha-what do you want to know?"

"Why do you look so surprised?" Dani asks, tilting her head in curiosity.

Santana shakes her head. "I-I don't know. I just…" She rolls her eyes. "Okay, I don't want to come off as…a creeper or whatever, but I'm a _huge_ fan. As in…I have all of your songs memorized, I watch your interviews on YouTube…I-I'm a fan." She looks at Dani's face and doesn't see anything but acceptance. "I've seen you in your music videos and your performances, I've seen you dance. You can move. I guess that's why I'm surprised."

"I guess. All of that stuff is choreographed, though." Dani shrugs. "I'm a good singer. Some even say sensational. But I'm…I don't think I'm a good dancer. I can move my hips, shimmy, walk across the stage, and keep a beat. But I think it would be cool to be able to do some other things too, y'know? Stuff that hasn't been choreographed."

Santana nods as she thinks. "I'm…I'm not a teacher or choreographer or anything, but I can try."

Dani just waves her off. "Whatever. How about you just teach me a few of your favorite moves?"

Santana had Dani stretch and then started teaching her.

"Okay. So, the first one is my _famous_ Santana dance." Santana says with a mischievous grin.

Dani eyes her cautiously. "Famous, huh? Okay, let's see it." She waves Santana into the middle of the room.

Santana does her Santana dance, and Dani is struggling not to laugh. When Santana is finished, they both laugh. "Okay. Basically, it's just _wiggling_ your body, I guess?" She's still laughing but trying to teach Dani at the same time.

Dani nods and does what she thinks Santana just did, but gets it completely wrong. Santana shows her again, and then breaks it down by body part. By the end of learning that dance, they were both falling on the floor laughing. Then Santana taught her a few other moves, keeping them pretty low key so that they will match what she usually does on stage – only with more swagger and skill.

"And those are the ones I can think of right now." Santana says as she sits on the floor leaning against the wall.

"Thank you Santana. I really appreciate it." Dani says sitting down next to the taller girl and stealing her water.

"Hey!" Santana protests trying to get her water back.

Dani scoots back but hits the corner and can't move any further. "You distracted me! I need water!" Dani says dramatically.

Santana rolls her eyes playfully at Dani's dramatics, before giving in. "Fine, but at least share it."

Dani takes one last big gulp before passing it over to Santana with an innocent smile.

Santana doesn't even look at the bottle as she brings it to her mouth. She gets barely two sips of water and glares at Dani. "That's nice Dani. Real nice." She says sarcastically. "Thank you for being _such_ a wonderful sharer. I was just the one that taught you all those new dance moves. That's fine. Whatever."

Dani rolls her eyes before standing up and holding her hand out to Santana, to help her up as well. "C'mon Miss Sarcastic. We _both_ need more water, let's go to the kitchen and get some."

Before she can stop herself, Santana utters, "Wanky."

Dani raises an eyebrow as they walk down the stairs. "What does that even mean?"

Santana blushes, but she was flushed from the dancing already so she hopes Dani won't notice. "Umm, well, y'know…sexual. You said 'get some.'" She shrugs with a sheepish smile then lets out a little laugh. "Wanky."

Dani smirks and shakes her head while getting them water. "No, I didn't know, actually."

Santana nods taking the water from Dani. "I would say _you learn something new every day_, but I seem to be teaching you A LOT rather than learning anything today."

"It does seem that way, doesn't it? I guess I'll just have to find something that _I_ can teach _you_, then." Dani says lightly.

Santana genuinely smiles back and opens her mouth to say something, but is distracted by her loud text tone. She looks at the display and sees that she has a bunch of texts asking about what's happening, and Rachel and Kurt replied to her tweet saying that she didn't even give half the story. Before she has time to think about what she's doing, she goes to the rage place. "Do you know why my _friends_ kicked me out?" Santana asks rhetorically. "They kicked me out for looking out for _their_ best interests. I took the hobbit to the doctor this morning because she had a pregnancy scare. She thought she was pregnant and it could've been one of two guys. I was _there_ for her. I held her while she cried and took her to see the doctor. Do you know who I would do that for? My friends…my family. I'm a bitch. I know that. But when someone I _care_ about needs help, I'm there for them. I tweeted out of frustration earlier, but _nothing_ I said was a lie. Now, they're telling me that I'm not _even_ giving half the story. And they're _right_. I didn't tell everyone what else I've done for them and how I've helped them. If I did, people would say I was either making it up or bragging or trying to bring them down. All I have _ever _done is told the _truth_. Yes, I was blunt and a bitch about most of it, but it was still the _truth_." Santana finishes breathing deeply and gripping the counter in front of her tightly.

Dani just listens as Santana vents, and when she's done, she walks over to her and peels her fingers away from the counter then pulls her in for a tight hug. "Hey. It's okay. It'll be okay." She whispers in Santana's ear.

Santana shakes her head, but keeps it firmly ensconced in Dani's neck. "It's not. It's _not okay_." She shakes her head some more before pulling back to look at Dani. "The hobbit and porcelain…_they're_ the ones that always talked about how our glee club was a family. And, I actually bought into that…for a little while anyway, but…family doesn't treat each other the way they do. They don't stab you in the back, they don't constantly put each other down, they don't…I don't know. I just know that they're supposed to love you _unconditionally_, support you _no matter what_, and have your back. And they _talk_ a good game, but…they don't follow through with their actions." Santana finishes shaking her head and failing to hold her tears back.

Dani reaches up to swipe her thumb across Santana's cheek and Santana notices how sad she looks. "Oh my God. I'm so sorry. I didn't…" She shakes her head. "_Damn it_. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

Dani shakes her head. "It's okay. You're right though. That _is_ what family is supposed do. Mine just believed that appearances were everything and that secrets needed to be kept secret, even if it kills you inside."

Santana looks shocked for a minute before shaking her head. "That's…almost _exactly_ what my abuela said to me. '_They're called secrets for a reason. The sin isn't in the thing. It's in the scandal when people talk about it aloud.'_ I told her that I was tired of walking around mad at the world, fighting a war within myself, but she still…" She shakes her head.

"My parents didn't even give me _a chance_ to say anything." Dani says softly. "They yelled, yelled some more, kicked my then girlfriend out, and then yelled even more. They said some things about gay camp and church. At that point, I was done, so, I grabbed my guitar and clothes and left. I showed up on my aunt's doorstep in Queens, and she said I could live with her."

...

Dani and Santana ended up staying up all night talking. They end up on the roof later that morning watching the sunrise. Santana takes a selfie of them in front of the sunrise, as well as a couple of just the sky and a couple of Dani and a couple of Dani and the sky, she posts the selfie to Instagram with DaniTorres and #newfriends, not even remembering that she had it set to automatically upload to both Facebook and Twitter.

...

By the time the sun has fully risen, Dani and Santana are almost asleep on the roof. They go back downstairs and to their rooms, but Santana can't sleep. She rolls around the bed trying to get comfortable, but that isn't her problem. Her problem is that she was just kicked out and now she's anxious. When she was with Dani, she completely forgot, but now that she's alone again - the memories and the anxiety have come back in full force.

Santana gets up and takes a couple steps toward Dani's room, but turns back before she can even make it halfway. This repeats a few times until she's right outside of Dani's door, but she just stands there looking at it, not sure if she should knock.

The recording studio door opens and Dani nearly walks right into her, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Oh my God!" Santana says bringing her hand up to her chest. "You scared the crap out of me."

"I'm sorry!" Dani says softly. "What are you doing?" She asks eying Santana.

Santana hesitates, looking down and nervously wringing her fingers together. "I-I...I was trying to figure out if it would be okay to knock or not." She shrugs.

"What do you need?" Dani asks compassionately.

"I...I can't sleep." Santana shakes her head. "It's ridiculous, but when I'm alone, I can't help thinking about getting kicked out and I-I get anxious and can't sleep."

Dani nods waiting for Santana to continue.

"I was hoping that, maybe, I could...possibly...stay with you tonight?"

Dani looks at the other girl and her heart breaks a little bit. She steps forward and wraps her arms around the taller girl before answering. "Of course you can. I had to sleep with my aunt for a while after I left home. I needed that comfort...knowing that I wasn't alone, that someone cared."

Santana just nods into the blonde's shoulder, unable to speak.

"C'mon. Let's go to bed. I'm exhausted, and I'm sure you are too. It's been a long day." Dani says guiding them into her room and over to her bed.

They settle themselves in the bed and Dani, holding Santana's hand, pulls her over and adjusts them so she has her arms around the brunette who has her head buried in her neck.

"Thank you." Santana whispers emotionally.

Dani nods silently as the both drift off into a blissful sleep.

They hadn't been asleep for very long when Santana's phone goes off loudly, again.

"Ugh." They both moaned sleepily.

Santana nuzzles her face into Dani's neck even more as she tries to get away from the sound.

Dani felt around where she heard the sound come from, and was, unknowingly, feeling Santana up. She finally found the phone, opened one eye to glaringly turn it off, and then put it on her table. Once the distraction was gone, she rewrapped herself around Santana and they both fell back asleep quickly and easily. It was the best night's sleep they've had in a long time.

* * *

**_AN:_**_Please let me know what you think! Also…I think I'm going to update every Monday. How does that work for everyone? Thank you for reading!_


	4. Chapter Four

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own Glee or the characters. It would be a completely different show if I owned it._

**_AN: _**_I was able to work in some Kurt and Rachel, but I'm not sure if it's what you guys wanted. :/ _

_Someone said that Santana is really OOC, and I do agree to an extent. However, I'm channeling the nervous, awkward Santana from 5x02 when she first meets Dani. She won't stay like this forever though. _

_I don't know much about the music business, and what I __**do**__ know is very basic. So, this is how all of the stuff works in my mind. :) _

* * *

Neither of them knew it, nor would they for quite some time, but that first night, or morning rather, was just the beginning. They haven't talked about it officially, but Santana has pretty much moved in with Dani. They tried sleeping apart a few times, but they always end up back in Dani's bed tangled together. They've had this routine going for a couple months. They are realizing that their feelings run deeper than just friends. Both are anxious though, because they love the friendship that they have. They don't want to mess it up, but they can't keep denying their feelings for much longer.

Santana hasn't spoken to Rachel or Kurt since they kicked her out two months ago. Sure, there were the tweets that first night and they had tried calling a couple of times, but she didn't answer and they didn't leave messages. She would be lying if she said she didn't think about it and that it didn't hurt or make her a little sad, but mostly it just makes her angry and drives her to succeed even more.

She responded to half of the gleeks – Puck, Quinn, Brittany, Mike, Tina, and Mercedes – and they had one of their party line phone calls where Santana explained everything. All six heard her out and were understanding. They could see both sides, but they agreed that kicking her out went too far. She was glad to know that they still had her back. Puck and Quinn had wanted to find Kurt and Rachel and knock some sense into them, but Santana managed to talk them out of it. Brittany, Mike, Tina, and Mercedes wanted to be there for her, but they lived all over the country. So, they told Santana to call if she needed them.

Santana was overwhelmed. She knew they were her friends, but she thought most of them liked Kurt and Rachel more and that their loyalty would be to them first. Well, okay, maybe only Mercedes and Tina – and maybe Mike too. She's so grateful that they believe her and that she still has some of her high school friends that she can count on. They all made plans to have a weekly Google hangout so they could keep up with everyone, and, so far, they're keeping up with it.

She has made some amazing new friends from the city in the past couple of months. There are a few dancers and singers, and some of Dani's other friends that all hang out. They all have a great time when they're together. Two of the dancers are touring with them, and the other dancers are touring with Dani's friends. They're all touring around the same time, so they won't be able to see each other for a few months, but they've already made plans to meet up when they're all back in New York.

Thanks to Dani, Santana is the choreographer for her upcoming summer tour, which begins in a month. Dani has asked her to be a dancer, backup singer, both, anything, just so she'll go on tour with her. Santana agreed, but only if it was an emergency. So, along with choreographing, she'll be a backup dancer and singer if needed.

Also thanks to Dani, she has started recording her own album, sort of. Dani had an idea, and somehow got everybody else involved on board as well, which seems to happen a lot. Dani's almost done with her upcoming album, but she wants to make it a double-sided album with Santana's music on the second side.

...

**_1.5 months ago:_**

Santana met Dani's Aunt Holly a couple weeks after Dani saved her from homelessness. Dani was introducing them, but they already knew each other.

"Aunt Holly, this is…" Dani doesn't get to finish because Santana cuts her off.

"Ms. Holliday?" Santana asks shocked.

"Santana!" Holly says happy and surprised, giving the shell-shocked girl a warm hug. "How are you?"

Santana shrugs. "I'm doing alright. Dani's definitely been helping me out lately." She says smiling at the younger blonde. "Just like you helped me out junior year."

"What? How did you help her?" Dani asks curiously.

Holly looks at Santana and Santana answers, knowing that Holly won't betray her trust, even to her niece. "I…I was having some trouble accepting that I like girls. Brittany, my best friend and not-girlfriend, was beginning to lose her patience and didn't want to be a secret anymore. So, when Ms. Holliday came back, the three of us sat down and talked. I still wasn't ready to come out yet, but it was the beginning of accepting myself. For that, just like you, I can never repay her for how she's helped me." Santana finishes hugging Holly tightly. "Thank you." She whispers emotionally and Holly nods squeezing her tighter.

Dani nods in understanding.

"Dani was living with you when you came to Lima, right? Why did you leave?" Santana asks confused.

Holly looks at Dani with a smile. "It was complicated. Sue is…she's like an older sister to me. Dani and I talked, and she said she'd be fine by herself for a little while. So, I went and subbed for her. She was having some trouble with Jean and needed some support." Holly shrugs.

Santana nods and Dani tells them both her ideas for Santana being the choreographer for her tour and about recording some songs for her upcoming album. Holly was quickly on board – she loved the ideas and she knows that Santana has an amazing voice. She also became Santana's manager.

...

**_Present:_**

Santana has kept her family and friends mostly updated, but she hasn't told them the complete truth yet. She told them that she's okay, has a place to live, and that she has a good job. She has yet to inform them that she's living with Dani or that she's her choreographer and going on tour with her. She's sent them all tickets to the show closest to them, which they should all be receiving today, and she'll let them in on the whole truth when they video chat tonight where Dani and Holly will be joining them.

Dani and Santana are currently making their way to Dani's favorite coffee shop before heading home after a meeting about the upcoming tour at Holly's office. It was about a ten-minute walk to the café, but neither minded. They enjoy the quiet times where the paparazzi aren't stalking Dani and they can just be two normal girls walking around the city.

They walk into the café laughing, garnering the attention of almost everyone inside but they pay it no mind. If they were paying attention, Santana would have seen Kurt and Rachel behind the counter and turned around to leave. However, they're too wrapped up in each other that she doesn't see them until it's too late.

It's been two months since Rachel and Kurt kicked Santana out of the loft. Since that first night, Santana's been radio silent. They haven't been able to get a hold of her and no one else that they've talked to knows where she is or what she's doing. They tried asking all the other gleeks, but the ones that are still speaking to Santana told them they had to figure it out themselves because they wouldn't get in the middle. When they staged the intervention, they didn't _actually_ think that Santana would leave. On the off chance that she did leave, they figured she would come crawling back the next day. Well, not crawling, more like storming.

The thing about Santana that everybody always underestimates is her strength and perseverance. They know she can tear someone down with her words and she's not afraid of confrontation, but they never thought she would be strong enough to make it in the big city all by herself.

"Santana!" Rachel and Kurt say simultaneously with looks of surprise.

Santana's head shoots around from Dani to the two people she really doesn't want to see, and before she can speak, they do.

"Oh my gosh! You're okay! What are you doing here? We've been trying to get a hold of you! Where have you been the last two months?"

Santana glares at them. "Of course I'm okay. I'm always okay." She says with a scoff. "I don't need either of you to make it in the city." She shakes her head, already done with them. She turns to speak softly to Dani. "I'm gonna wait outside. I…I can't with them."

Dani nods and watches as she turns to leave before turning to, whom she can safely bet are, Rachel and Kurt with her most intimidating glare. "Look, I don't know either of you and you don't know me, but let me tell you something. Santana? She is the _best_ person I know. She's told me everything and, honestly, I don't know why you would choose someone you barely know over her." She sees that they look both shocked and intimidated. "I say good riddance, but that's not my choice. Obviously, she doesn't want to see or talk to you right now. She doesn't want to hear your apologies or your explanations, and neither do I." She sees twin looks of hurt cross their faces, but she's not sorry for what she said. She shakes her head before leaving, not in the mood for coffee anymore.

As she turns to the door, she sees Santana standing there with tears threatening to fall.

"What's wrong?" Dani asks quickly wrapping her arms around the taller girl.

Santana shakes her head as her arms immediately wrap around the shorter girl's waist. "No. Nothing. Just…thank you."

Dani looks confused for a minute, and then realization hits her. "Oh! You heard all that?" She asks sheepishly, a blush threatening to take over.

Santana nods. "Thank you…for standing up for me and having my back."

This time, Dani shakes her head. "You don't have to thank me, it needed to be said."

Before either of them realizes what's happening, Santana leans in and kisses Dani. It was supposed to be a quick kiss of gratitude, but it was quickly escalating to more. One of Santana's hands moves up to cup Dani's cheek while one of Dani's hands moves down to Santana's hip to pull her even closer. Before things can go too far, Santana remembers where they are and pulls back, resting their foreheads together revealing wide smiles on both of their faces.

"Let's go home." Santana grabs Dani's hand and pulls them through the door and into the car waiting for them.

Just as they walked in to the coffee shop, neither noticed anyone else on their way out, which means they didn't see the gawkers with their cameras pointed at them. They'll see the videos of their first kiss online later though.

* * *

**_AN:_**_ Please let me know what you think! I cut this chapter in half because it was getting to be way too long. So, depending on the response, I may be able to be persuaded to post before next Monday. A special thank you to Tasteless Rain for her help on this chapter. :) If you haven't already, you should go check out her story Stay, it's awesome._


	5. Chapter Five

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own Glee or the characters. It would be a completely different show if I owned it._

**_AN: _**_Okay, your guys' response to the last chapter was awesome! So, here's the second half of chapter four. :) I hope you enjoy._

_Sorry for the problems! I thought I hit publish, but maybe I didn't. Maybe it was FF's fault. Who knows? But...here you go. :)_

* * *

By the time Dani and Santana make it home, Holly is calling because the PR people are receiving a ton of calls about the videos and pictures of the argument and their kiss in the coffee shop.

"Hey Aunt Holly, what's up?" Dani asks into the phone.

_"Hey. So, one of the PR people just sent me an email with an interesting video. Do you know what was on that video?" Holly asks in a knowing tone._

"Oh God. That was only like…ten minutes ago. There are already videos and pictures online?" Dani asks exasperatedly.

_"Oh yea, sweet cheeks. The one I found in my email starts with you telling two people off and ends with you and Santana kissing. By the looks of it, you're both in love." Holly teases with a twinge of accusation._

Dani shakes her head and hides in Santana's shoulder even though Holly can't see her and Santana can't hear Holly's end of the conversation. "No. No. That…it…that was our first kiss." She stutters embarrassedly trying to explain.

"Oh my God. There are videos online _already_?" Santana asks while grabbing her phone to look. Dani nods into her shoulder.

Dani explains the argument to her aunt and Holly says she'll take care of it. Before they hang up, Holly tells Dani that she's really happy they're finally getting it together.

Santana found the video on some trashy paparazzi website with an article entitled: 'Dani Torres caught arguing with baristas and kissing mystery woman: Is this the same woman that's been spotted with the musician before?' and they watched the video together. Along with the video, there are three pictures of them around the city throughout the article. The first is of the two shopping with sunglasses on, the second is the two of them having dinner that is distorted by the window, and the third is one of them kissing in the coffee shop earlier with their faces mostly covered by Santana's hair. They know it's Dani in all the photos, and it's a safe bet that it's the same woman, but it's all just speculation. No one knows who she is yet, but they're all wondering and anxious to be the one to break the news of who she is.

"What do you want to do?" Dani asks after they've both had time to absorb everything that happened in the last hour.

Santana shrugs. "I don't know. I mean…" She smiles at Dani. "I _know_ I want to do this…" She leans into Dani and connects their lips again, but pulls away quickly to continue speaking. "But, I don't know what we should do about…" she waves her hands around "everything else."

Dani nods. "I'm good with that." She smiles connecting their lips for a third time, pulling back after a few seconds. "I…I think we should talk to Holly, because I really don't want the paps to get the story first. Y'know?"

Santana nods. "Sounds good. We have rehearsal in a couple of hours, what should we do until then?" She asks with a grin.

Dani gets a playfully thoughtful look on her face. "Hmm…I don't know. We could…read?" Santana shakes her head. "We could…do some recording?" Santana shakes her head again and raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. "We could…oh! I know. We could take a nap." Santana pouts. "Oh come here. You know what we both want to do until rehearsal. I was kidding." Dani says as she drags Santana on top of her on the couch and connects their lips for the fourth time.

Both of them sigh as their lips touch, but unlike earlier they are able to take their time and savor every part of the kiss. Their lips melding together and tugging playfully, teeth biting softly, tongues soothing over bitten lips. When neither could take the slow pace anymore the tension from the last two months exploded. Hands roaming, gripping, pushing, pulling. Dani flipped them over so she is on top. Santana found Dani's sweet spot just below her ear. Dani found Santana's on her collarbone. Dani was slowly lifting Santana's shirt up, placing wet hot kisses on all of the newly exposed skin of her stomach. Just as she was about to take the shirt off completely, Santana's alarm goes off.

"Ugh." They both groan.

"Oh my God. Why?" Santana moans hugging Dani tightly, taking some deep breaths.

Dani breathes deeply as well before laughing lightly. "Rehearsal? Ring any bells?"

Santana shakes her head playfully. "Nuh-uh."

Dani shrugs. "Okay. I guess I'll have to find a new choreographer and…well, then I guess I'll have no need for you anymore."

Santana gasps. "I knew it! I knew you were just using me. You just wanted all my dance moves." She accuses playfully, squinting her eyes and squeezing Dani's sides.

"Yep. You caught me." Dani says monotonously while rolling her eyes and leaning down to peck Santana's pout. "Now, we have to go. I want to talk to Holly before rehearsal."

"If we have too." Santana concedes. "I'll go grab our bags." She says after they got to their feet.

Santana hands Dani her bag after retrieving both and they head out to the awaiting car and to rehearsal.

They get to rehearsal before everyone else, so they change and stretch. In the midst of their stretches, Holly arrives.

"Hey chicas!" Holly greets. "How's it going?"

"Alright." Dani shrugs innocently, smiling at Santana. "We were wondering if you could schedule an interview with someone so we can reveal Santana as the _mystery woman_. We would rather not have the paparazzi figure it out first." Dani says while continuing to stretch.

Holly nods. "Good plan. We don't want to give those hounds anything. Do you have any preference?"

"Ellen, Kelly and Michael, GMA, or Today. Maybe E! News." Dani suggests. "But, you know better than I do."

Holly nods. "Okay. I can work with those. I'll make some calls and see what we can do."

Dani and Santana nod and finish their stretches. Santana starts showing Dani a sequence when the rest of the dancers arrive and they can start the real rehearsal.

...

By the time their rehearsals finished, they were beyond tired. Luckily, they only had one more obligation that day. Just from looking at Santana's phone, her family and friends wouldn't allow her to back out of it tonight. They all received their packages earlier that day and they've started putting the pieces together.

Before the video chat, however, Dani and Santana were having dinner with Holly at their favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant on the way home. The first time they went was their dancer friends who recommended it as _the best Asian-fusion_ they've ever had. They were a little skeptical at first, because it didn't look like much. However, it smelt amazing, and when they got their food they both had to hold back their moans from the deliciousness.

After eating, they made their way back to Dani's for the video chat.

Dani grabbed her laptop and brought it to the living room. Santana was sitting on one couch and Holly was in one of the chairs off to the side. She hands the computer to Santana before sitting next to her, but not close enough to be in the video yet.

Santana gets the video chat up and running, and finds that everyone is already there – the gleeks, her parents, and her closest cousins.

"Hey guys." Santana greets with a slight wave indicating her nervousness.

Everyone on the computer starts talking at once and Santana can't understand any of them, so she yells. "¡Silencio! ¡Escucha!" _(Quiet! Listen!)_ They all go silent immediately and Santana smirks. "Okay, guys, really? One person at a time, okay?" They all nod. "So, who's going first? I know you all probably have the same questions…so…Mami?" She offers.

The rest indicate it's fine, so Maribel starts. "Santanita, we all got tickets to Dani Torres' concerts. We want to know why you gave them to us and how."

Santana nods. "So, you remember a couple months ago, I Instagrammed that picture of me and Dani? Well, I'msortoflivingwithherandworkingwithherandI'mthemysterywomanshe'salwaysspottedwithandnowwe'redating." She gets out as quickly as possible. Everyone is looking at her bewildered. Dani snorts loudly bringing her hands up to cover her face embarrassed. Holly just barely holds in her laughter.

"Santanita." Antonio, her father says pointedly. "You know none of us could understand that. Now, slow down and tell us again."

Santana looks over to Dani and then Holly, and they make their way into the video.

Everyone looks shocked before losing it again. This time, they can make out two things "Oh my God, it's Dani Torres!" and "Ms. Holliday? Why are you…?"

Dani holds her hands up to quiet everyone. "Hi everyone, I'm Dani and this is my aunt Holly. Santana said that she's living here with me and working with us." She points to Holly and herself. "I believe she also said that she's the mystery woman from the tabloids and that we're dating now." She looks to Santana for confirmation, who just nods.

All of the girls squeal and awe over how cute the two are. Brittany looks a little sad, but only because it's the first time she's seen Santana happy in a real relationship since they broke up.

"What is your job?" Puck asks over the squealing.

"Umm…I'm the choreographer and, if I'm needed, a backup dancer and singer." Santana shrugs as if it's no big deal.

"Okay, okay." Quinn speaks up as the voice of reason before everybody can go crazy again. "Can you please start from the beginning and explain everything? I think we're missing some pieces."

So, for the next twenty minutes, Santana explains and answers their questions. Holly and Dani answered a couple as well, but for the most part, Santana did all the talking.

"The tickets…I sent you the passes to the New York shows. I just…I'm excited and I wanted you all to come see what I…what we've been doing." Santana shrugs.

Everyone agrees that they'll be at the shows. They're all extremely excited to be able to see everybody again and to see what Santana's been doing.

Santana's cousin, Lexi, finally speaks up. "Tana, if you _ever_ keep this many big secrets again, I will go _all Lima Heights_." She says sounding exactly like Santana.

The rest of her family and friends are in agreement with Lexi. Santana rolls her eyes. "Okay, okay." She holds her hands up. "I'm sorry. All right? I was just trying to get my head around everything. It's been a long year and it's only April. We've been really busy, and…I'm not trying to make excuses." She shakes her head. "I'm just…can you try to see this from my perspective?" She asks with pleading eyes.

They all nod. "We do, Santanita. We just like to know that you're okay and safe." Antonio says. "Now, you look tired. Go to sleep and we'll talk next week."

Santana nods in relief and they say their goodbyes before signing out.

She slumps back against the couch and slowly falls so she's lying across Dani's lap and curling into her. "Ugh." She moans exhaustedly.

Dani smiles and starts running her fingers through Santana's hair. "We should at least go to bed before you fall asleep." She says in amusement.

Santana squints up at her with a glare.

Holly clears her throat and Dani and Santana look over at her sheepishly, just remembering she's there. "I just wanted to let you know that while you were rehearsing, I made some calls and I got you an interview next week. You are flying out on the red eye on Wednesday and coming back Friday evening."

The two girls nod knowing Holly will give them the rest of the details later, but for now they say goodnight and head to bed.

* * *

**_AN:_**_ Please let me know what you think! A special thank you to Tasteless Rain for her help on this chapter. :)_


	6. Chapter Six

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own Glee or the characters. It would be a completely different show if I owned it._

**_AN:_**_ The response to this story is just...it's amazing! I can't even believe it. Thank you! :) This chapter just kind of came out of nowhere. I hope you enjoy it. _

_*Songs: (1) Catch Me – Demi Lovato, (2) It's Only Life – Kate Voegele. (I don't actually use the songs, I just mention they're singing or whatever and these are the songs in order of appearance.)_

* * *

Dani and Santana were extremely busy for the next month leading up to the tour. Dani was doing press and rehearsals and Santana was doing rehearsals with Dani, the dancers, and the singers. She was teaching and rehearsing the choreography with Dani and the dancers. She was teaching the singers some choreography and rehearsing it, but she was also taking part in their singing rehearsals, both with and without Dani, in case they need her to fill in.

About a week after the Kurt and Rachel confrontation, Dani and Santana flew to LA for an interview. This is the interview where they reveal Santana as the _mystery woman_ from all the paparazzi photos. For some reason, luck was on their side, and the paparazzi hadn't figured it out yet.

"I'm so nervous." Santana admits quietly, squeezing Dani's hand for support.

Dani turns to look at her. "I know, but it'll all be okay. Okay?" She waits for Santana to nod before continuing. "That's why we chose this show. We know it'll all be okay and she's good with these sorts of things."

Santana nods and lets out a sigh. "I know. I've just…it's my first time on national TV and I don't want to mess it up."

"I'll be right there with you." Dani offers pulling Santana to her and hugging her tightly.

Santana closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and lets it out. "Okay. Okay. I'm okay. I'm ready." She says with a smile.

Dani looks into her eyes and sees that she's telling the truth. "Okay. Well, good, because it's time for us to talk with Ellen before the show starts."

Santana nods as Dani takes her hand as a knock sounds on the green room door before it opens and Ellen walks through.

"Hey girls. Dani, it's wonderful to see you again." Ellen greets with a hug.

"Hey Ellen, you too." Dani responds. "This is Santana Lopez." She introduces.

"Hi Santana, it's nice to meet you." Ellen greets the nervous girl with a hug and smile.

"Hi Ellen, it's great to meet you too. I'm a huge fan." Santana says quickly and they all laugh.

After they settle down, Ellen gets down to business. "Okay, I'm told you brought some tickets for your concert and you wanted us to give them away to kids?" Dani and Santana nod. "Awesome. We made sure this was a _special_ show and that the audience is mostly kids with their parents or guardians. We're going to announce it toward the end of the show." Again, the two women nod and Ellen leaves to start the show, leaving them to themselves for a few minutes.

Before long, Dani is called over by one of the producers. Santana watches as Dani dances her way out and laughs when she sees her do the Santana dance.

"Hi Dani! How are you?" Ellen asks happily, as they sit down after exchanging hugs.

"Hi Ellen! I'm great. How are you?" Dani smiles widely.

"I'm good. Now, what are we talking about today?" Ellen asks looking at her cards.

Dani laughs. "My summer tour, it starts in three weeks!"

"Right. How are all the rehearsals going for that? What should we be anticipating?" Ellen asks eagerly.

"Rehearsals are…they're the best. My crew is amazing. Umm...I guess, thanks to my new choreographer, you should anticipate lots of dancing and some new moves." Dani answers casually.

Ellen nods with a smile. "I'm excited to see your dancing! You probably won't be better than me, but we'll have to wait and see." Dani mockingly gasps and Ellen laughs. "So, a new choreographer? Who is it?"

"Well, my choreographer may be sort of familiar to everybody if they follow entertainment news or," Dani pauses with a dramatic eye roll and deep sigh, "any of the paparazzi papers." She shakes her head.

Ellen looks at her shocked. "You mean _mystery woman_," she points to the screen between them with a picture of Dani and Santana, "is your choreographer?"

"One and the same." Dani answers with a wide smile. "You look surprised Ellen."

"I am. I can honestly say that you've managed to surprise me." Ellen answers. "I thought _mystery woman_ was your new girlfriend. No one can forget the kiss." She says, again pointing to the screen where a video plays their first kiss.

"I think we should bring her out and we can all talk." Dani suggests.

Ellen nods. "Alright. Now, Dani's choreographer…" She looks to Dani.

"Santana Lopez." Dani fills in.

"Santana Lopez will join us after the break." Ellen says.

As they go to commercial, one of the producers brings Santana to the entrance, and, as they get back from commercial, Ellen and Dani both stand as Santana dances her way out. She also does the Santana dance with a smile.

Santana hugs Ellen then sits down next to Dani, automatically and unconsciously grabbing her hand.

Ellen eyes them for a minute while they get settled.

"It's nice to finally put a full face and name to all our speculation." Ellen greets.

Santana smiles. "It's nice to meet you, I'm a…huge fan." She laughs. Ellen and Dani, and the audience, laugh too.

"Okay. Let's get the basics out of the way first. How old are you?" Ellen begins Santana's interview.

"I'm 19." Santana answers.

Ellen nods. "How did you two meet?"

Santana and Dani look at each other before laughing. "We, literally, ran into each other." Santana answers.

Dani continues. "I was texting and walking." She turns to the audience. "Don't do it guys."

Santana takes over shaking her head. "I was…lost in my head and wasn't paying attention to where I was going or what was going on around me."

"Then after we picked all our stuff up, we started talking and…now here we are." Dani finishes leaving out the parts of the story that were a still pretty sensitive.

"Wow. Talk about fate." Ellen jokes and they all laugh. "Okay. How long have you been dancing and choreographing Santana?" She asks genuinely.

"I've been dancing for sixteen years. I…I haven't choreographed anything before this." Santana says. "Well…I mean, unless you count helping my glee club with dances."

Ellen raises her eyebrows and looks to Dani. "So, Dani. Why hire someone that has no experience as a choreographer?"

Dani shrugs. "If you saw her dance, you'd understand."

Ellen looks at Santana. "I know it's not planned, but will you dance for us? Dani seems to be sure, but I think we'd all like to judge that for ourselves." The audience cheers loudly.

Santana looks at Dani and back to Ellen shrugging. "Sure. Where do you want me?" She sends a smirk to Dani, mouthing _wanky_.

"Luckily, we're always prepared for impromptu dancing." Ellen says as the other side of the stage brightens and a wide-open floor is shown.

Santana nods. "Okay, we doing this now?" She asks.

Ellen waves her over to the open floor. Santana walks over and pauses in the middle and bounces on the balls of her feet to get a feel for the floor and spins to see if it's slippery or sticky. She notices it's a little bit stiff, but she can adjust.

She looks up to the DJ and nods, and she starts an upbeat track. As Santana listens to the first couple of bars, she shakes her body out. Then she closes her eyes and the music and movements flow through her body. Her dance is a mixture of hip-hop and contemporary. As the music ends, so does she. There is silence in the building before everyone erupts in applause. Ellen leads them out to commercial before she and Dani make their way over to Santana.

Dani hugs Santana, whispering in her ear. "You were amazing!"

Santana drinks almost a whole bottle of water during the break, and is breathing normally by the time they're back on air and sitting in the chairs again.

"Wow, Santana. Dani wasn't kidding when she said we just had to see you dance." Ellen says awed.

Santana ducks her head down briefly and smiles. "Thank you."

"You just…seem to lose yourself when you dance." Ellen leads.

Santana nods. "Yea, sort of. It's a way for me to let all my emotions out and get out of my head."

Ellen nods understandingly and looks to Dani. "Okay, so you're performing in a few minutes. Are you dancing today or saving that for the tour?"

"Tour. I'm still working on it. However, there is another surprise." Dani says mischievously.

Santana looks at her with a raised eyebrow and Ellen looks confused. "I'm the host! I'm supposed to be the one with the surprises!" Ellen jokes.

"Okay. If you don't want it, I can keep it." Dani says with a shrug as if it's no big deal.

"No, no, no. I'm kidding. What's the surprise?" Ellen amends quickly.

Dani laughs. "Well, I'm not the only one singing today."

Ellen is waiting in anticipation while Santana rolls her eyes. "Well? Who's singing with you?"

Dani shakes her head with the same smile. "Uh-uh. That's too easy. You'll have to find out when we sing."

"Alright. Well, I believe it's time for you to perform anyway." Ellen says curiously.

Dani walks over to the makeshift stage and Santana walks backstage. Everyone thinks that Santana's part is done and they're eagerly awaiting this next surprise.

Dani begins singing her latest single, _Catch Me_, and when she gets to the end of the chorus, Santana walks out covered in shadows and begins to sing the second verse. Before they're able to see her, they hear the smoky rasp of her voice and are immediately enchanted. She continues walking until she's next to Dani, and the audience goes crazy when they see her. They finish the song flawlessly.

It's safe to say that everyone was surprised, and, once again, the applause is deafening.

Ellen is clapping with an expression of awe on her face.

The band begins playing a second song, one that only Dani and Santana have heard before, _It's Only Life_. Santana starts the song this time, and everyone immediately quiets down. Dani takes over the second verse and they finish the song together.

Ellen just waves the cameras off as she makes her way over to the two girls and one of the producers announces the commercial break. She shakes her head as she reaches Dani and Santana giving them hugs and telling them they were fantastic.

"Okay girls. Seriously? Are there any more surprises? I'm not sure how much more I can handle." Ellen says jokingly.

Dani and Santana look at each before looking at Ellen. "We're dating?" Dani says shrugging.

Ellen nods as though that's not new information. "Yea, I got that from the kiss. Nothing else?"

"We brought the tickets for Dani's concert, but that's only a surprise for the audience." Santana states and Dani nods.

Before anything else can be said, they're back on the stage continuing the show.

"How amazing was their performance?" Ellen asks and the crowd goes crazy, then Ellen turns to Santana. "Is there anything you _can't_ do? You're an amazing dancer and singer, what can't you do?"

Santana shrugs. "I'm horrible with science." Everybody laughs.

"Okay. There's one last surprise for everybody, and this time I'm in on it too." Ellen announces, playfully glaring at the two girls beside her while the audience cheers loudly once again.

"This surprise is for all of the kids in the audience today." They all start cheering and jumping up and down. "Dani has brought you all copies of her album…" She's cut off by the loud response from the audience. "AND tickets to one of her shows in LA!" The kids are going crazy with tears running down their faces and meeting their wide grins, hugging any and everybody they can reach.

The show ended with Ellen, Dani, and Santana heading out into the audience to talk with the kids.

* * *

**_AN:_**_ Seriously, this chapter took on a life of its own and spiraled out of control. The Ellen interview wasn't supposed to be an ENTIRE chapter, but it is what it is. Please let me know what you think!_


	7. Chapter Seven

**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own Glee or the characters. It would be a completely different show if I owned it._

**_AN:_**_ I'm sorry this was so late. I had a migraine Sunday-Thursday last week, and then this weekend was super busy. This is kind of a filler chapter, but it's setting things up for the future. Please bear with me. I hope you enjoy it. _

* * *

**_A Week Ago: (before the Ellen interview)_**

Just after their confrontation with Santana and Dani, Rachel and Kurt had tried to contact Santana to no avail. Then they tried asking their other friends about it, but got the same answer from everyone – no one knew anything. They know Puck, Quinn, and Brittany are for sure hiding something, which they expected. However, what they didn't expect was for Mercedes, Mike, and Tina to hide things from them.

Rachel finally got a hold of Tina. "Hey Tina."

_"Hey Rachel, what's up?"_

"I was just wondering if you know anything about Santana?" She gets straight to her question.

_"Look Rachel, I've talked to Santana, but I'm not going to tell you anything. Santana will talk you and Kurt when she's ready. You guys kicked her out after dark in the middle of winter, in New York City. It's going to take her a while to get over that."_

"Did she tell you why? We asked her to leave, because she was making my boyfriend, who lives with us, uncomfortable." Rachel explains.

_"So, you chose someone you've know a few months over someone you've known for years?" Tina asks incredulously. "Look, I have to go, Brittany and I are studying. I'll talk to you later."_

"Bye." Rachel trails off as she hears the dead line.

Rachel shakes her head looking at Kurt. "I…I think Tina, Mike, and Mercedes are on Santana's side." She says disbelievingly.

"But…they're our friends!" Kurt exclaims. "I mean, I know they're Santana's friends too, but they were our friends first. What did Tina say after you explained?"

"She asked about why we chose Brody over Santana, and then said she was studying with Brittany and had to go." Rachel answers rolling her eyes.

"Great. Well, now, I guess we know who our true friends are." Kurt says petulantly, crossing his arms over chest.

Rachel and Kurt genuinely didn't understand why kicking Santana out caused such a rift. If they did know, who knows what they would have done instead. However, they can only deal with the information they have. Unfortunately, they didn't have a crucial piece of information that made kicking Santana out the worst thing they could have possibly done.

**_Present: _**

"Santana?" Dani asks hesitantly over dinner one night. She doesn't want to push the other girl too much, but this question has been burning through her thoughts for the past week.

Santana turns her head to look at Dani and raises an eyebrow. "Yea?"

"I-I know that you're angry with Rachel and Kurt for kicking you out, but…you seem…I don't know." Dani shakes her head. "I guess, kind of, like you're holding something back?"

Santana looks at her food, and with a resigned sigh, she nods. "I…when I was forced out of the flannel closet, I had to come out to my family. My parents were cool with it, but my abuela…" She licks her lips and takes a deep breath. "She said she never wanted to see me again and kicked me out. It's…it's something I just can't…get over, you know?"

"Santana." Dani says slowly, moving to hug her girlfriend. "I'm so sorry. I understand. You know my parents kicked me out when they found out and I can only imagine what my reaction would have been if someone else kicked me out too."

Santana's arms wind around Dani's waist and she just holds on tight for a few minutes. "I guess, once multiple people kick you out you just…" she shrugs "…start questioning and waiting for it to happen again." She reveals her fears to the blonde in her embrace.

Dani shakes her head and squeezes the brunette even tighter. "I understand, and I know words won't do much, but I hope you know that I won't kick you out. I know I can't see into the future, but I promise you I won't. If, God forbid, something happened we'll talk and you can stay here as long as you need, okay?" She sighs. "Ugh, I hate talking like this. I already can't sleep without you beside me, I can't think about anything happening."

Santana lifts her head and looks into Dani's eyes. "Thank you." She says emotionally. "I can't sleep without you either." She gives a small smile. "I don't like thinking that way either, so let's just…not." She laughs.

Dani nods and they finish their dinner.

...

Dani and Santana were in LA recording the Ellen show on Thursday, and now it's Monday, the day the show airs. Santana told everyone in their last group video chat, so everyone's watching it "together" – except for Mercedes, but she was at the filming because she lives in LA.

The men were all proud, but more reserved in their responses than the women. Most of the women shed a few tears and there was some squealing. Most of all though, there was excited and joyful chatter as they all watched the episode.

...

Dani's summer tour started a month later in mid-May. She and Santana have been living together, working together, and becoming best friends. Due to their crazy, hectic schedules, they haven't had time to go on their first date. Occasionally, they needed a break from the other, but for the most part, they can't stand being away from each other.

A few people on the crew don't like that Santana basically has free reign to do whatever she wants. Even though she has not, nor will she ever, take advantage of her position. They don't like that she's all buddy buddy with Dani and that they're always together. They're jealous of their relationship and that Santana always has Dani's attention. They're also jealous that Dani brings Santana out, front and center, to perform with her every night.

About two weeks in, at the Nashville show, the dancers and singers with a problem set-up a little prank for Santana. However, it doesn't go as planned, because Dani has a complication with an outfit change. So, Dani and Santana switch parts for their first song together, and as she's walking out on stage Dani falls and severely sprains her ankle in the middle of the concert.

Santana is furious. She's glaring and yelling at everyone in Spanish while she runs over to Dani to see what happened. She reaches Dani and immediately calms down when she sees the tears streaming down her face. She sits, holding her and waits for the ambulance to come, then rides with them to the hospital.

Santana and Holly find out, through Dani's bodyguard, Max, who it was that planned and instigated everything. Holly fired all three back up singers and three dancers. For now, Santana is focusing on Dani and reworking the set.

They release Dani from the hospital a few hours later, about 1 am, with a boot on her ankle and a pair of crutches. She, Santana, and Holly are discussing their options in Dani and Santana's hotel room.

"So, did you guys have a plan for if something went this horribly wrong?" Santana asks bluntly.

The two blondes shake their heads. "No. I-I never even thought that we'd have to fire six people all at once. I mean, we figured for an injury or two, but you were the backup in that case." Dani sighs.

"Well…I-I may have an idea. I know a few people that can learn everything in less than a day, but they're all over the place. Like me, they would have no experience in something this big either. Do either of you know any available, experienced dancers and singers?" Santana says tentatively. She doesn't want to force her friends on Dani, but she doesn't know of another way to keep the tour moving.

Holly shakes her head dejectedly. "No. We had auditions, but we got all the really good ones. Or, I guess, we thought we had. Are you talking about the kids from glee?" She asks Santana.

Santana nods. "Yea, I-I just…" She trails off. "What other option do we have?" She shrugs.

They all sit and think quietly for a few minutes, before Dani speaks up. "Well, I guess we can at least ask them. I trust you Santana, and if you think they're good enough and able to learn everything quickly, then I believe you."

Santana texts everyone and they're all available to video chat, so she grabs her computer and sets it up. Once they're all there, Santana begins.

"Hey guys." Various greetings sound back. "I don't know if you've all heard, but a few of the dancers and the backup singers decided to try and pull a prank on me at the concert a few hours ago. It went sideways and Dani ended up severely spraining her ankle." She adjusts the camera to show Dani's ankle, propped up with ice on top, and then turns it back to them.

"Oh my God!" Quinn exclaims. "Are you okay?"

Dani nods with a sad smile. "Yea, I'm okay. But…we had to fire six people."

Santana cuts in. "Which is why we're all talking right now. We want to know if any or all of you are available to come do the tour with us?" Santana asks hopefully. "Mike, Britt you'd replace the dancers. Quinn, Mercedes, Tina you'd replace the singers. Puck you'd be an added bodyguard." She explains.

Mercedes answers first. "I'm in. I just quit with the label I was working with because they wanted me to do things I am not comfortable doing."

Mike follows next. "I'm in. My finals and classes are over for the year, and this will be an amazing experience and opportunity."

Brittany answers next. "I'm in. I'm done for the year too, and I miss dancing. MIT is great and all, but…I _really_ miss dancing."

Quinn quickly follows. "I'm in too. I'm done with my classes for the year too."

Tina chimes in. "I'm in. I just got done with graduation and was going to head to New York for the summer before school starts, but this will be even better."

Puck answers last. "I'm in. I was just catching up with Matt. He's in town visiting for a few days after his classes at NYU finished for the year. He's majoring in Music Performance." He informs everyone.

Santana speaks up. "That's awesome! I haven't seen him in forever. Does he still dance?"

Puck nods. "Yea, he told me that he took a few classes this last year."

"Is he still around? Can he come be a dancer too?" Santana asks curiously.

"I have his new number, let me ask." Puck says pulling out his phone and typing quickly.

As they wait for Matt's response, Holly talks to everyone. "Hola clase!" She says with a grin and they all laugh for a minute. "Okay, seriously though, I need to know your full first and last names and which airport you're closest too, so I can have a ticket waiting for you to come to Nashville, today."

Everyone looks a little shocked, but quickly get over it and nod.

Mercedes answers, "Mercedes Jones, LAX."

Mike answers, "Michael Chang Jr., Chicago O'Hare."

Brittany answers, "Brittany Pierce, Boston Logan."

Quinn answers with a roll of her eyes at her first name, "Lucy Quinn Fabray, Tweed New Haven or Bradley International."

Tina answers, "Tina Cohen-Chang, Dayton International."

Puck answers, "Noah Puckerman, Dayton too. And Matt says he's in as long as you're sure."

Santana nods. "As long as he can still dance like he used to, or better, I'm sure."

Puck nods. "Okay, he's in. Matthew Rutherford, Dayton too."

Holly nods and writes everyone's location down. "Okay. Let me set this up, and I'll let you all know when your flights are. I'll try to give you as much time as possible, but we need you all here today." She says as she stands up to leave and make the reservations.

They all continue talking while Holly is arranging the flights. Dani gives them the set list playlist, so they can start learning the songs. Santana gives them all the videos she has with choreography, so they can look it over and be somewhat familiar with it by the time they arrive.

Talking to Tina and Puck, Santana asks, "Can you guys share that stuff with Matt? I don't have his number or his email, and you'll be seeing him soon." They both nod their agreement. "Awesome."

"Thank you guys, so much." Dani says. "I really appreciate it. I don't really know you guys, but from the brief conversations and everything Santana has told me, I feel like I do. I think it's amazing that you're all willing to drop whatever you had going on this summer to do this for us." She shakes her head in disbelief. "Okay, I know it's a national tour and everything, but…you guys are amazing just the same." She gives them all a huge smile.

Mike speaks up with an easy smile. "I'm going to Joffery Ballet, and it's amazing, but even they wouldn't be able to prepare me for anything like this. This is an amazing opportunity and experience that people like us _don't_ get. We'd be stupid to turn you down."

"Like I said, I just quit with my label out here, because I'm not willing to sacrifice myself for them. I will make it in this business on my own terms, another way. Until then, these opportunities are _gold_. It'll give us all that experience." Mercedes tells them.

Everyone agrees with both of them, but Quinn finally says it. "So, Dani, we really should be thanking you. I know that it's an awful situation, but you believe in us because Santana does. You've never seen any of us dance or heard us sing, yet you're giving us this opportunity. That's…" She shakes her head, unable to find the words. "Thank you." She says sincerely, followed by everyone else.

By the time Holly is back with the flight information, Matt is with Puck. Dani and Santana had told them what clothes they needed them to bring, in case they weren't able to get all the stage outfits re-fit in time.

"Okay, everyone, I'm really sorry to do this to you all, but since we need you here as soon as possible the only available flights are leaving in about four hours. There will be a car waiting for you at the airport when you arrive here in Nashville and they'll bring you to our hotel. We're in rooms 315 and 317." She informs everyone when their flights are leaving and they all say goodbye so they can pack and get to the airport.

After saying goodbye to everyone, Holly says goodnight to Dani and Santana and makes her way to her room to sleep for a few hours. Santana makes sure Dani's leg is up and that she's comfortable before curling up next to her. Both girls fall asleep quickly after the all the excitement in the last few hours.

...

Mike, Tina, Puck, and Matt all arrive in Nashville about six hours later. They grab their bags and make their way out to the cars and then the hotel. They are at the hotel within the hour and head up to the rooms.

Mercedes, Quinn, and Brittany arrive at the hotel two hours later.

Once everyone is there, they all eat and talk about what's going to be happening over the next couple of days.

"First, I have contracts for the seven of you to read over and sign." Holly says passing them to each new person. "We'll get you all fitted for in-ear monitors, which will take about an hour. Dr. Smith will be here in a few minutes to get started on those. We're moving on to Louisville in a few hours. We've rescheduled the Nashville show, so we'll be coming back. We leave on the buses in a few hours, so you guys can all start practicing when we're done here. When we get to Louisville, we'll have a dress rehearsal tonight and then sound check and show tomorrow night. So, you have about 30 hours or so to get it all down." She informs everyone.

They take all the information in, and take a couple deep breaths. "Okay, guys, we got this." Santana says. "Do you remember our first competition with glee club? We had an hour to learn and choreograph three songs. This is the same as that." She tells them.

They all nod and various voiced agreements resonate.

Dani takes Quinn, Mercedes, and Tina so they can practice the songs and figure out the harmonies.

Santana takes Mike, Brittany, and Matt to start going over the choreography.

Holly takes Puck to meet Max and get everything with them sorted out.

When they need to leave two hours later, the singers and dancers have worked through half the songs.

They all get on the same bus and after Santana helps Dani situate her leg with more ice, they separate once again to continue going over the songs or choreography with their group.

They arrive in Louisville three hours later. They all eat dinner and then head to the venue for their dress rehearsal. Rehearsal goes surprisingly well. Dani and Santana have to stop it a few times to go over words, notes, or steps, but it could've been a lot worse. For this show, Dani is going to be on a stool and _maybe_ walking around the stage. It all depends on the swelling and pain in her ankle. She has a walking boot, and as much as Dani wants to give her regular performance, no one is going to let her. They all want her to heal as quickly as possible and the only way to do that is rest, and no weight bearing until the pain and swelling are gone.

* * *

**_AN:_**_ Please let me know what you think!_


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